What Was, Still Is
by ringaroundtherollins
Summary: Kalisto falls sick on his anniversary with Sin Cara, but his quick-thinking, idyllic partner won't let that stop them from celebrating a year of togetherness. One-shot. Sick!Kalisto. Incredibly fluffy.


_**A/N: A combination of Lucha Dragons/Sinlisto depravation and recovering from my own nasty cold inspired this one-shot. I warn you now: it's gooey and fluffy and romantic and mushy and adorable as anything I've ever written before. If that suits you, proceed and enjoy~**_

* * *

It was an anniversary. The pair had plenty of them to celebrate each year: when they first met, the first (and only) time they became NXT tag team champions, their debut on the main roster, their first kiss, days after when the partners became true _partners_. This one in particular was one of Sin Cara's favorites: the debut of the Lucha Dragons in the NXT. The very first time the world saw Kalisto and Sin Cara together, performing as a team, two highflying _luchadores_ with tremendous talent and respect for the _lucha libre_ style of wrestling.

What about that _shouldn't_ have been celebrated?

And Sin Cara, fancying himself a sentimental boyfriend, was making the arrangements for such a worthy observance. The date could stretch from afternoon to late in the evening, each hour consisting of a beautiful setting, enjoyable bustle, just the two of them. Lunch at the Touche Rooftop Lounge and Restaurant; he had reservations on the sunny structure which seemed to overlook the entire state. Downtown Miami was only a five-minute drive from the restaurant, where Sin Cara and his wonderful partner could stroll the streets, revel in the sunlit day, perhaps do a bit of shopping, splash a bit in the Mildred and Claude Pepper Fountain in Bayfront Park. Then twilight would be cherished on the beach, yet another short drive away, with dinner at the Rusty Pelican restaurant. Seafood, wine, maybe dancing, depending on how much wine they'd consumed. A stark view of the Miami skyline across the water. Stars would burn brilliant past the sun's disappearance. A walk on the shore with Kalisto's hand in his own. Perhaps they'd see a shooting star. Though Cara had no reason to make a wish on one. With Kalisto, all his dreams came true.

It was going to be so, so perfect.

Sin Cara had an hour or so before he was due to pick Kalisto up from his house. A Staind song soundtracked his date preparations. He'd been listening to the band a lot lately, per Kalisto's suggestion. He'd grown fond of them, though new rock wasn't his favorite genre. This song, he absolutely adored, because it seemed to encapsulate his feelings for Kalisto well. " _You're the fire that warms me when I'm cold. You're the hand I have to hold as I grow old. You're the shore when I am lost at sea. You're the only thing that I like about me_ …"

Sin Cara dressed in a white suit jacket over a blue plaid shirt, buttoned to the top to keep his appearance spruce, and black dress pants with brown leather shoes. A tie was considered but he disregarded it. He wanted to look dapper, not ornamented. In fact, there was a good chance these shoes would be ruined on a walk down the beach, especially near the lapping briny waves. But that was alright. He could buy another pair of shoes.

Kalisto deserved him at his best, because Kalisto deserved the best.

As he drew his mask on over his combed hair and shaven face—unnecessary for now, but later the mask would naturally be coming off later on as he swept his _amor_ into kisses and more—his phone chimed on the nightstand. He snatched the device to answer the call. The screen was bright with a photo of a smiling Kalisto.

" _Hola, mi tesoro_."

"Hey, Cara." His voice was grainy.

"Are you alright?"

"No. I'm sorry I didn't text you back. I've been up all night coughing." Kalisto fell victim to several dry coughs before returning to the call sounding even worse than before. "Finally passed out around five-thirty or so. Just woke up."

" _Que verguenza_." Kalisto had been complaining of a sore throat a couple of days ago, but he hadn't taken it seriously. Popped a couple of cough drops and wrestled on Smackdown like the warrior he was. Maybe he should have given his body rest instead. "Sounds like a nasty cold."

"Yeah…I feel _really_ shitty, Cara. I'm so sorry. I don't think I can go out today."

Sin Cara couldn't deny how dismayed he felt at that. Not just how their date had been postponed, but how truly miserable Kalisto must have felt for him to call off the date in the first place. He worked through a lot of ailments as a WWE superstar. For him to abandon plans, especially ones as important as these, meant something was very wrong.

"I'll make it up to you," Kalisto went on. "I promise."

"Kali, don't worry about it. I want to make sure you're okay."

"You sure?"

" _Claro que si_. Your health comes first. Always."

"That's sweet."

"I'll be over in a little while, then."

"Cara, I don't want you to get sick. I'm probably still contagious, and trust me, you don't want to feel the way I do—" Even his firm voice was frail, and Kalisto interrupted himself with another string of coughs.

"I just want to give you something. Germs can't scare me away."

Kalisto exhaled, then cleared his tender throat. "Okay. If you insist. But bring a bottle of hand sanitizer."

 _I'll bring a little more than that_. "Alright. I'll see you soon, _amorcito_."

—

Kalisto was in and out of sleep after speaking on the phone with Sin Cara. He felt terrible in more ways than one. Physically, of course. He corresponded to all signs of a common cold, to a T. Raw throat, congested nose and chest, aching muscles, coughing and difficulty breathing all night long. Yet emotionally he was sullen, too. He knew what this day meant to Cara, because it meant everything to Kalisto. Dates could be rescheduled but anniversaries only came once a year—hence the name.

He'd have to go the extra mile, once he was feeling better, to atone for ruining the day. No matter what Cara said. He was understanding, but Kalisto loved having an excuse to pamper him.

Kalisto was nodding off on the couch again when the doorbell rang. He wasn't even sure what show was on TV; it was merely background noise so he wouldn't feel so lonely at home. He left his blanket behind on the couch and trudged across the living room floor to answer the door.

It was Sin Cara, of course, standing on the porch. Even in plaid gray pajama bottoms and a loose WWE shirt, he was as handsome as ever. Kalisto couldn't say the same for himself. He wasn't even wearing his mask, and he sported workout shorts and a sagging v-neck today: comfort clothes in a time of sickness. Kalisto's lips parted to greet his boyfriend when his eyes contemplated a peculiar sight. Sin Cara was holding a large pink Easter basket crammed with all sorts of products.

"What is this?" Kalisto asked.

"I think it's our anniversary still," Sin Cara said. The smile in his voice was apparent, visible past the mask. "Can I come in?"

"Oh, yeah, of course."

Sin Cara moved into the living room, giving the sweet cat Kayli a rub on the head before having a seat on the couch beside Kalisto's bacteria-ridden blanket. He emptied the basket's contents one by one onto the coffee table. Kalisto got a look at everything inside, and there was a _lot_ : cherry-flavored cough drops, Vitamin C tablets, a travel-sized packet of tissues, a few cans of chicken noodle soup, blue Gatorade, a bottle of honey, tea bags, a chocolate bar, chapstick, hand sanitizer, orange juice, a mug, a few DVDs, and several bottles of different medicines.

Kalisto was baffled. He hadn't expected this. Even if he had, Sin Cara would have still managed to go above and beyond any of his expectations.

"Wh—this—I—"

"Hey, you're sick. You should probably lay down." Sin Cara positioned a pillow behind him, then tipped Kalisto's body towards it. He rested against the pillow, giving into his physical delicacy, surrendering to the warmth and privilege of having Cara for a boyfriend.

"You didn't have to."

"And yet." Cara tugged his mask off and set it on the table. The only one allowed to see his face was Kalisto, in the security of one of their homes. "Now, have you eaten? Or can I heat you up some soup? And would you like to drink tea first, or the orange juice? Or the Gatorade?"

Kalisto smiled dreamily. "Tea sounds wonderful. And I haven't eaten. I'll have some soup."

"Alright." Sin Cara unfolded the blanket and tucked Kalisto in. "I'll get that started. You don't wanna take medicine on an empty stomach, so we'll wait until after lunch for this stuff." He touched a hand softly to Kalisto's forehead, then swooped down and kissed it tenderly. "I'll be back."

"Thank you."

It didn't take long to prepare the can of Campbell's. A minute and a half in the microwave in a glass bowl, which Cara removed with a pot holder. The tea would take longer. He set the bowl on a plate and delivered it to the living room with a spoon and side of saltine crackers, then kissed Kalisto's head again before returning to the kitchen to make the tea.

"I'm the luckiest guy alive," Kalisto called after him. Too much strain on his vocal chords caused him to cough again. He buried his face into the blanket, then wiped his nose and lips with a tissue from the "care package." _This is so much. He does so much for me_ , Kalisto thought.

Cara added a lemon wedge and a drizzle of honey into the mug he'd brought over. It was a cute cup he'd seen at Walgreens, not originally part of his sick basket idea, but one he couldn't resist grabbing for Kalisto. It displayed a smiling black cat with white words written across his belly: "This Guy Loves His Cat."

And how Kalisto did.

Cara brought the tea to Kalisto and warned him it was hot, to take caution before sipping it. Kalisto thanked him and brought the cup slowly to his lips. Sin Cara opened up the bottles of medicine, placing in his hand two Tylenol, one Advil Cold and Sinus, and two Vitamin C tablets. "Take these at your leisure," he told Kalisto, dropping them into his hand.

"This won't make me OD, will it?"

"No. I made sure these were all okay to take together. Just have to keep note of the time you took them. _That_ could cause overdose. But I won't let that happen to you."

Kalisto's cheeks were aching in new pain that he didn't mind: from smiling so damn much. "What would I do without you?"

"Suffer alone." Cara grinned. "What movie do you want to watch?"

Kalisto took the medicine, then contemplated his options. Sin Cara had brought over a few of his favorites, but one stood out among the others. " _The Princess Bride_. Absolutely."

"As you wish."

Cara put the movie in the DVD player, then joined Kalisto on the couch, under the blanket, folding Kali in his arms. A slight fever was evident by the feel of his skin, but Sin Cara didn't mind.

"You're breathing in all my sick," Kalisto groaned.

"Fine, then you'll just have to take care of me when I come down with a cold. But I'm not gonna leave you to suffer alone for real."

"It sucks not being able to kiss you."

"I can kiss you all sorts of other places," Cara spoke in his ear. "Make up for it."

Kalisto snuggled against Sin Cara's sturdy form. "I love you."

"I love you so much." Cara kissed his hair, then stroked his arm up and down.

Kalisto didn't make it halfway through the movie before falling asleep. He needed his rest. Cara reposed with him for a little while. He was getting hot under this blanket. There was a bit more to be done for Kalisto today. He slithered off the couch, taking his time so not to disturb the sleeping Kali. He looked weary, pained, yet so beautiful even so.

Cara had plenty of time to get some cleaning done, as Kalisto was finally able to slumber a long while after an exhausting night. He did a couple of loads of laundry; for one guy who was hardly ever home, Kalisto sure could neglect his dirty clothes. He washed the few dishes in the sink by hand, dried them off and put them away. Folded the heap of heated clothes when they were out of the dryer. Hung them up in the closet or folded them for the dresser. Made Kalisto's bed. Lucha Kitty and Kayli were meowing for food, so Sin Cara fed them and refilled their water bowls.

He was alerted to Kalisto's awakening when he heard poor Kali coughing downstairs. Cara sprinted down the steps and rounded into the living room. Kalisto was sitting up on the couch, leaning forward, hacking. Cara retrieved the Gatorade and pried the cap off, then handed it to Kalisto. His eyes were watery from the hawking. He pulled a breath through his nose and controlled himself long enough to sip the Gatorade. It helped, a bit.

Cara rubbed his shoulder. "My poor Kalisto."

"This blows. I can't tell you how much."

"I'm sorry."

"Thank God you're here, though." Kalisto regained his breath, then slumped against Sin Cara. "You're my hero."

"I prefer man of the hour, but sure, you can call me that."

"More like man of the _year_." Kalisto smiled, but it withered just as quickly as it surfaced. "Sorry this is how you have to spend our anniversary."

Cara put a hand over Kalisto's. "Kali, I'm with you. That's all that counts for today. No matter where we are, or what we do, as long as I'm with you, I'm happy. You're my joy."

At last, the smile was back, and this time to stay. " _Te amo_."

" _Te amo_. Let me put in another movie. But first, need anything? More soup, some water? How about your chocolate bar?"

"Feed me that chocolate," Kalisto said weakly. "And some water, too, please."

Sin Cara got him a tall glass of water from the kitchen, and Kalisto nibbled on his candy. "Your turn to pick the movie."

"Promise you won't fall asleep this time?" Sin Cara teased, selecting _The Empire Strikes Back_ for the next viewing.

"Oh, _totally_."

He had no intentions of keeping the promise, of course, nor could he if he wanted to. He was fast asleep again before Luke Skywalker awoke in the Wampa's cave. But in his sleep he was smiling, and even drowsing he was grateful for Cara. Humbled and honored and cherishing of his love, his kindhearted partner, his sensational boyfriend.

 _I don't deserve him_ , he knew even in a land of dreams.

And there would be a time when Sin Cara would don his dashing outfit (which he'd returned to his closet before hitting the store), when they'd uphold their reservations at the rooftop restaurant and meander downtown and roam the damp shores of a sparkling Florida beach. There would be a time they'd return to work and fight again as a team, battle relentlessly against whatever opponents stood across the ring.

But if it wasn't today, that was alright.

Sin Cara was just happy to be there for Kalisto. Whenever he needed him.

He admired the sleeping Lucha Dragon in his arms, falling in love over and over again, and kissed his hair.

 _Happy anniversary, mi tesoro_.


End file.
